How to fix S.M.A.R.T status failure on HDD?

[Class 11]

Hello everyone!

 

I recently tried to format one of my HDD's. I did it with the manager in windows. Using fast format option it went thou, but while I selected full format, the drive started to scratch around 1%-2%. Since previously I had corrupted or more so unacceptable files on the drive. I did a S.M.A.R.T check and the drive failed it. Now I removed the drive, but I would like to use the drive, coz it's a 1.5GB drive and only about 30GB on the drive is bad/unacceptable. Is there any option to fix this error? Or how can I "reserve" these sectors so the drive doesn't goes there any more?

 

Thanks for helping.

[Hum 6,933]

You could run an error check, using Windows.

 

Check the box to 'repair' bad sectors.

 

You could try using Spinrite.

 

But a drive that damaged, I would just rescue what data you can, then toss it.

 

If the heads are scratching the disks, it is toast.

[T3X4S 4,532]

If it is truly scratching, then it is toast.  I assume by 1.5GB you meant 1.5TB
 

If it is scratching, then the control arm is digging grooves and spreading shrapnel all over the platters.

Why do you want to keep this thing ?   t.


Hardware errors are usually the thing that kills a drive.  You can get the drive rebuilt possibly by a data recovery place.

There they take the drive apart in a clean room, dip the platters in a liquid that brings out the tiny grooves, then use good hardware to rebuild it.  It cost about $1000 - since you are sweating a $65 drive, I think $1000 is probably out of your budget.

 

Hum is correct in suggesting CHKDSK/R and SpinRite 6.0 - they are very good at what they do.  But they cant do anything for failing hardware.

[Class 11]

Well, I was using with this error for more then 3 years. Oh, yeah I ment 1.5TB. :)

 

"Error Check" in windows? Do you mean scan disk? or which app do you mean?

[He's Dead Jim 1,951]

I had some damage to sectors on an old 30Gb drive, I successfully used the tool, HDD regenerator to "repair" the damage, and got a few months extra use from it.

But once its scratching its prolly best to acquire a new HDD

[Hum 6,933]

"Error Check" in windows? Do you mean scan disk? or which app do you mean?

 

 

^ Windows Tools -- right click on the bad drive, Properties, Tools, Error checking ... see picture above. ^

[Class 11]

I had some damage to sectors on an old 30Gb drive, I successfully used the tool, HDD regenerator to "repair" the damage, and got a few months extra use from it.

But once its scratching its prolly best to acquire a new HDD

 

But I'm definitely going to try this. I hope it will do something.

 

^ Windows Tools -- right click on the bad drive, Properties, Tools, Error checking ... see picture above. ^

 

Oh, sry, didn't see the picture. Well, now it's completely blank drive, so no error's are found.

 

Btw, it only scratches when I try to access those bad sectors. Not generaly.

[Luc2k 753]

What does your drive's health look in something like Hard Disk Sentinel? You should backup your data and do a write surface test to fix weak sectors and mark the bad ones as unusable. The scratching part sound really bad though. Is it out of warranty?

[T3X4S 4,532]

Are hard drives more expensive than gold in Hungary ?  I simply dont understand why you are wasting 5 seconds on this.  You know its failing, you cant trust anything you put on there - why mess with it ?

If you say "well Im only 14 and too young to work, and my parents wont help" then I understand.

[paulheu 187]

Hello everyone!

 

I recently tried to format one of my HDD's. I did it with the manager in windows. Using fast format option it went thou, but while I selected full format, the drive started to scratch around 1%-2%. Since previously I had corrupted or more so unacceptable files on the drive. I did a S.M.A.R.T check and the drive failed it.

 

 

Don't fiddle with it, get a new drive and trash this one as it is a goner. S.M.A.R.T. error are meant to tell you the drive is dying and needs to be replaced. Trying to fix it will only increase usage a lot and expedite the pending failure.

[The Dark Knight 258]

Copy the data to another HDD before trying to fix this! You are after all trying to use it while the platters are getting scratched constantly. The only reason it's still running and you're able to access the data is because it is a 1.5 TB HDD; your stuff is all over those platters.

 

Just get a new HDD.

[Raa 1,525]

A S.M.A.R.T. error can't be fixed. It's a built in mechanism to let you know the drive is about to fail.

Backup your data, and replace the drive as soon as possible.

[+BudMan 3,358]

So the drive has been having issues for 3 years? How come you didn't run the makers diag tools the day it started doing it.. If the drive had problems while under warranty you could of gotten replacement.

What specific disk is this, Seagate, Western Digital, Toshiba, etc. And we can point you to where to get the makers tools to test the drive.

Example here is seagate tools

http://www.seagate.com/support/downloads/item/seatools-win-master/

http://www.seagate.com/support/downloads/item/seatools-dos-master/

Dos version you can boot from a CD and test, etc.

If you would of run this test before the warranty was up and it fails, you could of replaced. Make sure you run the long version of the test, etc. What specific smart info is reporting bad?

If the drive is showing signs of failure "clicking for example" Yeah get your data off you can that you need if any, and get a new disk..

[FreeJAC1310 7]

I use HD Tune. Great software. Was the only software that showed it was my hard drive controller on a laptop that was causing my O/S crash issues. Check it out. hdtune.com

[ndoggfromhell 35]

Smart failed and makes noise... I'd throw it away.  

 

There was a person I worked with who would bring home all the "smart failed" drives that didn't make bad noises or were "repaired' by manufacturer tools.  He used them in an unraid server (nearly 15 drives in all) and they've been going strong for a few years now.  He keeps adding failed drives to it and he has never had any issues.  Not sure how he bypasses the SMART Failure warning, but he does.  Not sure you can disable it on the drive, might be able to disable it in bios on the computer you're using.